Shadowing Light
by Kilameida
Summary: After Sora and Riku's return, everyone returned to their home worlds, and almost everything is peaceful.Kairi and Sora lived their days together in bliss...until, the Heartless struck again.SoKai LATER Namirox
1. Assault

Shadowing Light

Disclaimer: I do not, and never will (unless a miracle happen, and they're not very reliable these days) own Kingdom Hearts, or any of its characters, plot elements, game play, yadah yadah. Sheesh, are these things really that necessary? I don't even own the games!

Kila: Right, I'm getting started with this story. As you can guess from the title, this is not a quick oneshot. It's a full fledged story, with an unplanned amount of chapters, and hopefully a hecking lot of words. Since this is my first time, please excuse any mistakes or rude things that happen unless it's meant to be rude. Enough stalling, let's get started.

PS: Please Revie- aww, screw this, I'm not gonna force people to review. It's rude, y'know?

Summary: Sora, Riku, and Kairi returned to Destiny Islands. They spent the next few weeks together,trying to relax after the tension from their adventures. They played, relaxed, and had fun together. They (miraculously) landed during the start of their school holidays, giving them plenty of time. However, changes begun to happen around the islands.. Plants wilted slightly faster than usual, animals are slightly more hostile than usual, and the sea grew slightly more silent than usual. These slight changes are unnoticed by the trio... until two figures they never thought to see again crashed home into the islands.

* * *

**?**

The craggy rocks that made up the foundation of the castle shudders and weeps as winds, singing oblivion, swept through them. The castle itself was built on the very edge of a cliff, like an otherworldly beast about to fall to its own, miserable doom. Thunder and lightning occasionally boomed and illuminated the sky, providing the only source of luminance; the castle doomed to an ink-black sky till eternity itself ends.

The castle itself, stands an impressive 169 meters tall. Gloomy towers and spiraling spires decorated its rooftops, while battlements and guard towers complimented the beauty of it with an impenetrable defense. A purple, winding road led to the gates of the forbidding structure, connecting it to the outside world, if you can call it a world. In short, it would be the exact opposite of the castle in which King Mickey reigns in. In fact, you could call the ruler of the castle the exact opposite of the anthropomorphic mouse.

The ruler in question is staring out of the castle window, thinking, plotting, and, as usual, up to no good. His black cloak covers his whole body, in an attire familiar to all those who have known him. His silver hair was worn with a strange style, but completely recognizable to everyone whom knew him. As he paced, he occasionally glanced out of the huge window in the room, as if he expects someone to come to the castle. Not that he, or she for that matter, will come from the front door. Besides the army of Invisibles that hide behind every single statue and tower, there is also the small matter of a Lurk Lizard and 4 Clay Armors that drops out of the roof of the front door. Failing that, the gate itself will send anyone trying to enter into the farthest reaches of the Dark Margin. Even if a miracle happens and the group avoid that, there is still the 12 powerful inhabitants of the fortress, not mentioning an assorted army of Nobodies and Heartless that roam the corridors.

A person would have to enter through either a Corridor of Darkness, which have a chance of virtually nil, due to the fact that only they and and a select few have the power to create these corridors. Besides, he would sense someone using an unauthorized corridor. Or, enter through a less known but impenetrable side door. Or, the person would have to go from the rooftops, which will be dealt by an army of spell-casting Heartless and Dragoons.

No, the castle itself is completely impenetrable.

The ruler of the castle continued to pace throughout his room, walking back and forth, back and forth.

Suddenly, a patch of shadow from a nearby pillar flared, revealing a Corridor of Darkness. Out of the portal strode a man.

The man had a black, crew-cut style hair. He wore a black eye-patch, and has a rugged, strong face that looked like it survived through multiple harsh campaigns. Knowing the man, it probably did. He wore the same robes as the aforementioned ruler did, and held what appears to be twin guns. The man strode quickly to the Superior. _Xigbar _strode quickly to the Superior.

"Superior," the man spoke, "The army is in place. We can now commence with the operation. It took us a while, but we've gathered an extremely large force in each of the worlds."

The Superior turned.

Xemnas turned.

"It matters not the size of each army." When he spoke, it was in a silky-smooth tone, reassuring, and to some others, sinister. "What matters is if they are suited to each of the worlds."

"They are."

"Good. Begin with Disney Castle... and... is the special 'gift' in place?"

"By now Lexaeus should have dragged it into place."

"Very well. Commence with our... ah... revenge."

* * *

**Destiny Islands**

" And that, my friends, is why you should NEVER flub a fire spell."

The entire group laughed so hard till their stomach hurts and a steady stream of tears flowed from their eyes. Riku, in particular, will remember that little story to the end of his life. If he somehow managed to reach the king, an achievement all by itself since the barriers between worlds are restored, he'd make sure to tease the duck incessantly with this knowledge.

It has been a year since Sora, Kairi and Riku traveled throughout the universe to save it and their homes from numerous threats, such as Heartless and Nobodies. During the journey they had made many friends, friends they were certain they may not be able to see again, but they always cherish their memories, even though it was memories of grave times.

They had been sitting around the fireplace for a while, waiting for the time when their mothers would call them home and they had to sleep, only to start it all over again the next day. They have been recollecting past experiences from each of their adventures, and most of all, reconciling with each other, never wanting to break apart again. They missed their friends, of course. Each day, they all thought off everyone they left behind, especially those whom are precious to them. Goofy, Donald, The King, Leon, Yuffie, Cloud, the Moogles, and everyone else... however, they agreed that, with the darkness looming over them, it's best they return to each their worlds.

The only one whom actually was rather pleased with this decision is Sora, with certain reasons.

He dropped the burning chicken feathers that he was holding, and sat by together with Kairi, oblivious to all the laughter around them, lost in their moments together. They have been together for several days now, playing alone, or spending time alone... two years may seem insignificant, but seventeen is a significant age, especially for 'suspicious' activities. They ducked barrage after barrage of innuendo from both parents and friends, and yet they manage to still prosper.

Across the fire, Riku stared at the couple. He isn't attracted to Kairi, somehow. He loved her as he would a sister, but never as something better. He was happy that the two friends get to spend time together now... however, he wished he also had someone else to accompany him. He was never the romantic, but someone to share the load with him, working as hard as he is... he smiled. Here he was, thinking about other random girls he met throughout his adventures, not the ones here, the accessible ones. He stared deep into the fire, remembering... recalling... the past memories, the happy times he spent with the King, him reuniting with Sora... he was jolted out of his reverie, shocked by someone shaking his shoulders rather violently.

"Riku? Riku? Wake up, man!"

With a jolt, he noticed his surroundings again. He rubbed his eyes, and asked somewhat testily:"Sora, what is it?"

"Nothing, thought you could continue YOUR stay at Castle Oblivion."

_That's it? _thought Riku, somewhat grumpily. Without a word, he strode up near the fire, and looked around the group. He saw Tiddus and Wakka staring intently, waiting for the story to start. Selphie is a bit distracted, looking at him with a burning fervor... inwardly, he cringed. Selphie is way too bratty for his tastes. Simply annoying, with the high-pitched girly voice she always used, although lately, she did grow, being more and more beautiful, although simply not for his tastes. He turned around, and saw Kairi, snuggled in Sora's lap, her eyes closed, as Sora stroked her auburn hair. The two looked like they had all the time in the world, which they do, and their position is, as Selphie would have put it, _So romantic..._ without more thinking, Riku started his story.

"After me and King Mickey sealed the door to Darkness, I ended up in a... I dunno, room? Whatever it is, it was white, with a hint of grey in it. Anyways, I was so tired, I immediately slept. Then..."

After several minutes of story telling, the group decided that it was time that they returned, and return tomorrow, to start it all over again. They moved out alone, crossing the bridge that connects them to the main Island. Riku walks alone, in the back, thinking, thinking... and then, for no reason, he turned around, and saw Kairi and Sora in the middle, holding hands, looking up at the starry night skies. He shook his head. Really, they ARE lazy bums, and what's worse, lazy bums in love. "Guess I'll just leave em alone," he muttered to the thin air, and he was gone, back into the islands.

Sora and Kairi, oblivious to their friends returning back home, simply held hands and gazed up at the moon, the night sky, their world, the one they missed oh-so-much. However, they missed each other more. "Kairi..." started Sora gently. "Now that the barrier between worlds are restored, do you think that we'll see 'them' again?"

"Maybe we will, maybe we won't, Sora," softly said Kairi. "But what's important, they will always be in our hearts, our memories... we may not see them again, but we'll always be connected through our hearts."

"I thought that was my line," returned a somewhat- amused Sora.

"Silly, anyone can use your lines."

"Since when?"

"Since you told everyone your lines. We've been quoting them all over, but you're just too lazy of a bum." She snuggled up against him. "Well, at least you're _my_ lazy bum."

"You're one to speak, Kairi. You didn't actually work on the raft-"

She silenced him with a quick finger to his lips. "Sora, you never change."

He hugged her. "Good thing I never will."

The two young hearts kept on staring at the night sky, never wanting to be separated, wanting to be together, basking in each others warmth and comfort. However, it IS getting late, and no matter how much they loathe to be apart, their bodies need rest.

"Listen, Kairi... about one thing..."

"What is it?"

"Well... uhh..." Sora's nerves were running with electricity. He'd been trying to work his courage up several times, but each and every time was met with total failure, and awkwardness. In desperation, he said, "Well... you see, Kairi, I'm curious about one thing. Had you ever had an Awakening before?"

She laughed. "Of course not, silly. If I had, I'd tell you all. Anyways, I'd better hurry. If I don't submit the mathematics homework, I'm dead. Okay then, I'll see you tommorow!"

"Yeah... tommorrow..." Sora seemed unfocused. He was too busy cursing himself. She was a princess of the Heart, for heaven's sake! Of course she never once fought with her own inner darkness. She's too... pure. And beautiful. She is just... so... immediately, he stopped thinking like that. At any rate, he needed to come home. It's not a good idea to look like an idiot standing in the middle of the bridge doing nothing. He ran after Kairi, physically and mentally.

* * *

"ARGH!"

It was about 11'o'clock in the night when he returned. He was frustrated, not being able to summon the courage to talk to Kairi about "it", to further their relationship. Asking her out felt so... awkward. He is normally confident when it comes to anything, however, when it comes to talking to people intimately, he might as well jump out the window and kill himself. He sighed, resigning himself to misery, sat on his bed, and immediately started making plans. Perhaps he'd be able to tomorrow. He had to. _If only me and Kairi is alone all the time. Or Donald and Goofy is here. They'd know what to do... won't they? But somehow, I think I'd better keep this problem to myself... god, this is so frustrating. Even battling people like Sephiroth would be a damn long sight easier... oh damn this thing. I'll just sleep. Maybe something will hit me while I'm dreaming. _He turned off the lights and tried to sleep. However, his thoughts kept on haunting him, even through his dreams.

He saw him and Kairi, on the beach together, talking...talking... then the scene shifted, replaced by an image of her near Destiny Island's keyhole, all the way to the moment he saw her body again... these memories replayed themselves in his dreams, over and over again, until a blinding white light cleared his mind, and he stood in a room, completely unfamiliar:

_He saw a white, circular room, not unlike the room Where Nothing Gathers. Instead of the Organization, however, the room was instead filled with podiums. These podiums showcased all the Keyblades he once owned, and those that his Nobody once has owned. He walked to the room, filled with intense nostalgic feelings. He saw Olympia not far to the left, Fatal Crest a meter or two ahead, and Ultima Weapon hovering to the right of him. He walked on, eventually reaching a white door, a miniaturized version of Kingdom Hearts itself. With some sense of trepidation, he moved on ahead, walking slowly. From here on, he reached a hallway. Showcased in more podiums, forming a straight path ahead, were all of his Drive form clothing, or should he say armor, complete with their respective signature keyblades. First came Anti Form, in technicality the first one he received. Then came Valor Form, complete with Kingdom Key and Oathkeeper. Wisdom Form came after, shimmering with a faint blue light, its empty sleeves holding Kingdom Key. Master Form came next, Oblivion and Kingdom Key crossing Each other. Limit Form, the next one, held a lone Kingdom Key. Final Form held a crisscrossed Oathkeeper and Oblivion behind it, shimmering with power. Hesitating, he walked through the hallway. He saw a final podium at the room in the end, although what it contains is beyond his range of vision. With another step, he bypassed Anti Form... and fell down a deep, dark hole, suddenly appearing._

_He landed in a dark place, very much like his Awakening station. The crystal glass showed him and Kairi, separated by a thin black line. He heard several steps behind him, and turned. Like a mirror reflecting him, his double appears. He wore the same clothes he wore during his stay in the simulated Twilight Town, although the clothing is noticeably darker. He is empty handed, and his face is as calm and expressionless as always. "Sora?" He asked. Sora tried to speak, however, he is powerless to do so. "Listen up. I-" However, his form is fading away into the darkness. "Sora?" _

_Sora now find himself standing on another Awakening Station, depicting Roxas and all the friends Roxas made- Axel, Xion, Hayner, Ollete, Pence, and Namine. Interestingly, Axel and Xion's picture isn't blank. Sora was aware that this had some importance, although how he had forgotten. Then, jagged cracks appeared, starting from the middle, reaching Axel and Namine, and the Station shattered. Sora fell...fell... fell..._

With a shout, Sora awoke.

_What the hell was that about? Suddenly I met someone's who's not even supposed to exist, then all those past forms lined up in a room, then__... wait, why am I saying this thing in backwards order? _Frustrated, Sora growled. He knew from past experience dreams like this, or premonitions, the more accurate term, means something bad will happen in the near future. _God, I've my share of troubles. _He looked at the clock and saw that it's about 3.17 in the morning. With a sigh, he tried to sleep again, hoping that it would be devoid of dreams.

Perhaps he should have looked up next time. In either case, he regretted not looking up before sleeping, because he perhaps could have warned the king, and prevented the following calamity. As such, he didn't and nothing was done. For high, high, above, another star just faded.

* * *

**Disney Castle**

"Another star faded?"

The King sighed wearily. "Yes, Donald. And what's worse, we don't know why. But I'm pretty sure that it isn't the heartless. Furthermore ," said the King, gripping his huge throne, "a mysterious void appeared in the lane between worlds, somewhere near... well, it's more of in the middle of nowhere."

Besides Donald, Goofy stood in worry. Normally he would be doing his "rounds", in which people normally stay out of his way, because he is very prone to slipping, and no one would want to get bowled over by a 7-foot tall anthropomorphic dog. Today, he declined wearing his armor, opting instead for his more comfortable traveling gear. After all, there wasn't much to guard from. His traveling gear consists of a teardrop-shaped hat with a blue trim at the sharp edge of the teardrop, with goggles near the rim. He wore a jacket over a green, skintight sweater that covers his whole upper body. He wore orange pants that looks like short jeans, and a belt on his waists. He also wore his normal huge orange shoes.

Donald, in the meantime, uses his official wizardry gear, in contrast to Goofy's more relaxed clothes. His navy jacket is longer than his 'casual' clothes and has a blue addition to the bottom that covers the lower half of his body. The sleeves are long and resemble those of a sweater, sporting vertical creases. The jacket now has two large, yellow buttons down the front, a gold-lined pattern of ovals, rather resembling King Mickey's ears, on the lower half, and a blue belt tie around the waist. In addition to that, he wore a stereotypical witch's hat, colored blue, with a horizontal stripe in the middle. Beady black eyes hung on the King's every word, and his right hand gripped his Mage's Staff all the harder.

"The Door?" asked Donald. "You mean the Door to Darkness?"

"Not the Door to Darkness, Donald. It's more like a portal to the realm of Darkness. Or at least, it's similar to it. I call it the Void, and golly, it sure is looking like a void."

"But your Majesty," began Goofy, "d'you think it's possible for the Vaid-"

"Void!" shouted Donald.

"Right, what you said. Anyways, d'you think it's possible for the Void to grow and swallow-" and here he gulped- "worlds?"

King Mickey leaned back as far as possible on his throne. "If it can, then we wouldn't have much time before it reaches this section of the universe. However..." He suddenly stopped. "Gawrsh, I forgot that the barriers between worlds are sealed again. I was hoping I could have reached Sora and the others... but... Donald, Goofy, go to Chip and Dale. I heard that they've made a gummiship that can pierce the barriers, in case of emergency."

Donald stepped to the front. "Very well, Your Majes-"

They froze, as a mysterious figure entered the room.

The heavily armored figure entered the room, strode proudly yet stiffly, as if it had been heavily crippled. The helmet is mostly gold, except for the visor, which is black, and it sports two, red prongs, one on either side of the helmet, that point straight up. The arms, legs, and ribs of the armor is black had have orange patterns decorating them. Its knee guards, gauntlets, breast plate, and armored boots are gold, and there are other, smaller pieces of gold armor on its legs. It wears black pauldrons with gold edges. The front of the armor on the figure's torso is red, as are small pieces of armor on its lower legs and gauntlets. It also wears gold anklets with red spikes on the back that curve upward sharply.

King Mickey was the first to move. " Terra?"

The figure nodded. "I once bore that name, but not anymore. Call me... a lingering sentiment, if you will. I am the discarded memories of the Keyblade Wielder Terra, however..." The figure shuddered. If it had a face Mickey was sure that it would grimace in pain. "Time goes short... I am wounded... he returned... right after the battle..."

Now Donald and Goofy started to remember too. "Terra?" shouted Donald. "Wait... if Terra was here... where's Ven and Aqua?" asked Goofy.

The figure suddenly lurched, as if suffering from a great wound. "Enemies... at... graveyard..."

"TERRA!" All three figures jumped towards the hollow armor, trying to heal him.

The Lingering Sentiment waved his hand, stopping the three in their tracks. "Don't prolong my miserable existence..." it said quietly. "Living without a heart is bad enough, but I live without a body, and emotions based only on memories of my patron. However, I came here only to warn you of something: there are people..." he stopped here, the toll on his ethereal body demanding. "They're seeking to come back... my patron's double is coming back..." Such talk worries King Mickey. He needed to find out more. He sprang to his feet, casting Curaga as he ran, however, it was too late. The armor shivered... and fell into gilded pieces.

King Mickey stood in the remains of the former Keyblade Wielder. "Fellas... I think we all know where we should go," as he cradled a piece of armor in one hand.

Donald and Goofy nodded. It was time to investigate the Keyblade Graveyard.

* * *

GAAAAH! MY FINGERS! THEY'RE NUMB!

Seriously, not kidding. This stuff hurts. But it's nice, too!

Anyways, I hope you guys like my writing style. Especially when there's gonna be a mmmf...

Donald: Aww, enough talking, ya big palooka!


	2. Destiny Sealed

**Destiny Sealed**

Here we go... I shortened chapter one into two new chapters. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN KINGDOM HEARTS.

* * *

15 minutes later, Goofy, Donald, and the King was riding the _Highwind Peak _and on the way to the Keyblade Graveyard. Keyblade masters of old would simply transform their Keyblades into gliders, and traverse the roads of the universe until they came to the world that was once the Keyblade Graveyard. However, that secret is lost to time, and never will be seen again, unless by some miracles the old Keyblade Masters will come back and teach the new ones the deepest secrets of the Keyblade.

As the Gummiship alighted on the dusty, barren land, King Mickey hopped off the ship, Kingdom Key D in hand. He whirled it around experimentally, and mentally cursed himself for not practicing for some time. His previous adventures truly tired him. He felt that with the main forces of darkness at bay, he would have time to rest, before he had to take up arms to protect his people again. He took a look around, taking in the multiple keyblades that littered the ground. He felt sad. Is lust for power truly that hard to overcome?

In the meantime, Donald and Goofy managed to painfully escape the cockpit, with Goofy landing on top of Donald, as usual. While they dusted themselves off and took a look around (they were stuck in Yen Sid's tower during the battle between Xehanort, Terra, Aqua, Vanitas, and Ventus) King Mickey bent down low, and pulled a Star Seeker out of the dirt. He smiled fondly at it, remembering the days when he trained at the hands of Master Yen Sid... abruptly, he remembered why he was here, and cast out for clues. He saw it instantly, giant footprints leading to a whirling whirlwind in the center of the flat plains. He called out to Goofy and Donald, and the three examined the massive footprint.

"Look," said the King, "whatever made that footprint has gotta be something huge, like a Darkside."

Donald protested. "Your Majesty, with all due respect no Heartless can be strong enough to defeat Terra! I dunno anything about him, but he's a strong guy from what you told me!"

"Uhh... guys?" asked Goofy.

"What?" said King Mickey and Donald simultaneously.

"D'you think its a gigantic Nobody?"

"Don't be silly now, Goofy. We all know that Nobodies were wiped out of the face of the universe when Sora beat Xemnas!"

"I dunno... but the guy standing behind you sure looks like a Nobody!"

Donald and King Mickey quickly turned, behelding a massive Twilight Thorn. To make matters worse, a second one joins it from behind Goofy.

"Y'know, fellas, now I know how the Lingering Sentiment died. These two just picked him off!"

"But why?" Donald asked the obvious question.

"We don't know... but we know we'll get picked off if we stay here!"

Twin tendrils of darkness erupted from the back of both Twilight Thorns and stabbed downwards. Mickey managed to dodge the first one, and Goofy blocked the other.

From there, the King went on the offensive. He jumped over the first two thorns that rockets towards him, then he used the connecting tendrils like a trampoline, jumping higher, twirling the Keyblade, and hits the Twilight Thorn straight in the face with a blinding flash of yellowish light.

The Nobody recoiled, taking an earthshaking step backwards. The King backflipped in the air triumphantly, Kingdom Key D held at ready. "Donald? Goofy?"

In the meantime, Donald and Goofy was fighting the other Twilight Thorn. As Goofy dodged twin tendrils of darkness, Donald unloaded Blizzaga at the unfortunate head of the Heartless. Then Goofy was there, driving Save the King into the stomach of the Nobody while simultaneously disrupting the path of a tendril of darkness that was aiming for Donald. Despite its massive size, the Nobody was sent flying into its partner in crime, stunning both. Donald took the chance to let loose twin Gravigas that immobilizes and crushes both Twilight Thorns.

King Mickey stood still, watching his two royal subjects hold the two Nobodies, while charging up, Keyblade in hand, a spectacular light show all around him. Suddenly, he rushed towards the two still-immobilized Nobodies and raised his Keyblade. Automatically, Donald and Goofy backflipped away. "Magic Hour!"

Multiple pillars of light surrounds the two gigantic Nobodies, and pierces their essences apart. Magical explosions whirled through the air, and orbs of light, coming from Mickey's keyblade, joined the light show and depleted the Nobodies even further. A final burst of light rained down from the skies, and the Nobodies are just mists, fading away into the darkness.

The King fell down, exhausted. He tried to stand but couldn't, as the attack took much out of him. He may be one of the strongest individuals in the whole universe, however, he had his limits, and he hadn't practiced much of his magic for some time.

"King Mickey! You did it!" shouted Goofy. He hugged the King, and helped him onto his feet.

"King Mickey! Are you hurt?" Donald casting Curaga at the King, and Mickey leaps up to his feet, rejuvenated.

"Thank you Donald... I wonder, what were they doing here?"

"I'm not sure, King Mickey... I thought they were all destroyed?"

"For sure, those Twilit Thorns-"

"Twilight Thorns!" corrected Donald.

"Right, Twilight Thorns, they came outta nowhere. I don't think they attacked Terra, I mean, the Lingering Sentiment."

"You're right, Goofy," conceded Mickey. "I don't care how big it is, the Lingering Sentiment can take it down. But why would they attack now? From what I've heard from Jiminy, it's been here since... forever."

They all racked their brains for a while. Until...

"King Mickey?"

"Yes, Goofy?"

"I noticed something..."

"Well," put in Donald, "don't keep us waiting! Tell us what it is!"

"You see, why would someone attack the Lingering Sentiment? After all, it's just Terra's armor."

"Not unless... oh boy."

King Mickey made the connection in an instant. Electricity stormed through his brain, as his mind was thrown into calamity and confusion.

"Donald. We need to check on Destiny Island. Now."

"Alright, your Majesty. C'mon, let's go! I had Chip and Dale put in a coupla of Gummis, they should help us."

* * *

**Keyblade Graveyard**

"Alright, Donald, so what does this 'coupla of Gummis' do?"

"You see," he proudly said, "I was experimenting with the Gummi remains that we found while fighting space heartless, and I found this valuable piece of treasure." He paused for a moment. "You see, this, according to the libraries back at Disney Castle, is a Memory Gummi. Simply touch it, and it will show you the location, within the Realm of Light, of anyone that you know of, and their surroundings.. Unfortunately, it cannot detect dark forces, or anyone in the Realm of Darkness, but at least we can check on Sora, Riku, and Kairi this way!"

Understanding dawned on King Mickey's face. "Amazing! Donald, you're a genius! Let's hurry and check on Riku, Sora and Kairi- I have a bad feeling about this."

The three rushed to the small screen that shows the map, and zoomed in on Destiny Islands. However...

"Goofy, Donald. Am I seeing what I'm seeing?"

"If we're not dreaming," said a dazed Goofy, "then we'd better hurry up and help them!"

Destiny Islands are under attack by Heartless and Nobodies.

* * *

**Destiny Islands**

Sora's eyes are wide with fear, thrill, and excitement.

He swung Kingdom Key in a wide arc, catapulting multiple Heartless backwards. He jumped over a pack of charging creepers and large bodies, then incinerated them with a blast of Firaga. Besides him, Riku threw Way to Dawn towards a group of Air Pirates and Blue Nocturnes, the former thrown back into the throng and the latter disintegrating into wisps of shadows and a fragile, glowing heart, only to turn into shadows once more. Way to Dawn reappeared in Riku's hands, just in time to parry an attack from a Zip Slasher. He traded blows with the Heartless for a while, then slipped under its guard and buried the Keyblade firmly into its head. In the meantime, Sora wasted no time, unleashing Ars Arcanum on a poor, unsuspecting crowd of Shadows and Soldiers, lessening the tide of Heartless by a little. Even Kairi, with her little skill in Keyblade wielding, contributed, slashing and jabbing People's Place into the throng, the flowery blade suddenly dangerous against her enemies.

Sora barely blocked a sword slash from a Bandit, and then immediately countered, spinning with such force that even nearby heartless are struck down. He ground his teeth in frustration. A well placed Trinity Limit could end the battle right now, but without Donald and Goofy, he couldn't even switch into one of his stronger forms.

Riku's Way to Dawn angelic wings proved a bane against the massing shadows before him, dodging and slashing, parrying then stabbing... however, for every Heartless they kill, another took its place. To make matters worse, Darksides rose seemingly out of the ocean, destroying the pier in the process. Kairi screamed.

"Riku!" called Sora, face furrowed in concentration. A misstep now can mean doom to the Keyblade Hero. "There's way too many!"

"Geez, haven't noticed that?" Riku sarcastically replied, slashing a Large Body into oblivion.

"Riku, I thought you got my _Highwind Peak_ in your back yard?"

"We won't make it that far!"

"We have to try!"

Moving, pushing against the tide, they ran towards Riku's house.

No one noticed the black-cloaked figure that stood on the forefront of the army.

"Hmm... what an interesting gamble. I'll wager they won't make it, though..."

Then the figure melted back into the darkness.

* * *

The three keyblade wielders ran towards Riku's house, situated just behind the Treehouse. All over them, explosions rained down on the unfortunate hero, as multiple heartless team up, working with each other. Air Pirates and Gargoyles carried Minute Bombs over the skies and throwing them down, blowing up much of the Islands. It was a race of time, to see which party would reach Riku's house first - and salvation. A Large Body ran at them, and Sora dashed _through _it, killing the Heartless. A Minute Bomb dashed towards Riku's house, and Riku killed it with a Firaga. A soldier Heartless blocked their way, and Kairi pivoted on her Keyblade, kicking the Heartless with a burst of light, sending it back to the netherless. They were almost to the treehouse, and Riku's house was just behind it. Almost.

Almost never cuts it.

An explosion, a flash of light, and the trio found themselves on top of the little Island, near the bridge. Riku swore.

"Blast! What happened?"

"There. That's a wizard heartless... it blasted us all the way here!"

"Ngh..."

Sora saw Kairi, leg scorched and injured. "Kairi!"

Kairi lay on her side, leg injured. Scorched and wounded, she dropped Destiny Place onto the grass besides her, clutching on her legs. Her eyes were closed in pain, and her face was cringing, teeth grinding with each other as she tried her hardest not to scream. Sora immediately ran to her, kneeling in the ground, comforting her and simultaneously trying to heal her. He kissed her on the forehead, and impulsive, comforting move, and wrapped his left arm around her. His other hand glows with a green light, healing Kairi's leg. "That's about as much as I can do, Kairi. I can't completely heal your leg, I can only temporarily stop the pain... but enough of that. We've gotta defend ourselves!"

"Sora?" asked Riku.

"What?"

"I don't like the look of that Wizard over there." He pointed Way to Dawn towards the slowly approaching, cackling Wizard. Upon closer inspection, however, Sora and Riku can see that it is no normal wizard. It has an unmistakable aura of power, of _darkness,_ and wicked, purple flames surrounds its small body. Even as it approaches, more heartless of similar power and aura approaches, bodies glowing with the same dark power as the Wizard heartless.

"Sora! They're not normal heartless! They're empowered by the Darkness."

"Shoot! We've gotta protect Kairi!"

"Sora, cover me! I'll take 'em on, you hold the bridge and protect Kairi!"

Riku charged headlong into the approaching horde of heartless. He rushed to the middle of the bridge, then jumped high, narrowly missing a dark fireball from the original wizard heartless. Riku quickly shifted Way to Dawn into an uppercut grip, and slashed at an approaching air pirate, sending it back to oblivion. Spinning in mid-air, he extended his Keyblade in front of him while falling, and slashed the Wizard while simultaneously creating a small shockwave of energy. The wizard burst into tendrils of darkness, and disappeared. Riku, however, was assaulted by a barrage of attacks from the remaining heartless, and was forced to jump out of the masses and face them on the bridge, one at a time. As the first flaming purple shadow charged at him, Riku heard a "Firaga!" and the shadow was knocked back, stunned but not defeated. "Hell, these Heartless are supposed to be destroyed in one blow or two, and they _had _to come in packs, do they?" asked Riku to no one in particular. He rushed the Heartless again, Keyblade held in one hand as he spun, temporarily holding back the heartless and defeating some. As his momentum stops he shifted his footing and dealt a heavy overhead blow to a dazed Bandit, stunned from his last attacks. It would have been a fatal blow, however, the blow was stopped mid-way by an intercepting slash from a Pirate. He traded blow with the surprisingly strong and agile heartless, and manages to defeat it, reversing the grip on his keyblade, like a dagger, and stabbing it point-first. He glanced back at the remaining storm of heartless, and sighed. "Like I said... So many of 'em..." He proceeded to coat himself with a dark aura, body glowing with similar flames of purple darkness. He smiled, one that never reached his eyes. "Boys, it's been a nice time, but I'm afraid I gotta go." He raised Way to Dawn and pointed it to the sky with to hands, hovering in the air. Still hovering, he dashes forwards. The remaining heartless charged him... and met with nothing. He then reappeared from behind, slashing _through _the crowds. He then reappeared elsewhere in a similar fashion, slashing and hacking away. Finally, he reappeared from the sky, keyblade-point first, and shouted. "Dark Aura!" As he reached the ground, pillars of darkness erupted all around him, leaving the heartless finished.

Or so he thought.

The heartless still remains, darkness removed, but still very much there. He felt hopelessness rising inside of him. That was one of his strongest attacks, and it failed to eliminate the horde. Then, a friendly, reassuring voice spoke to him. "I think," said Sora, "it's time to stem the tide a bit." He brought forth three blue cards, one with the picture of a whirlwind, the other with a picture of a dark ball of energy, and the last of a metallic stopwatch. He simultaneously raised them up in the air, eyes closed in focus. In front of him, the hordes of heartless started charging them again. "This is it! All or nothing!" The cards glowed with a brilliant light. The horde was almost upon them. Riku prepared his keyblade, his only concern being the safety of Kairi. He heard Sora shout. "Warp!" And suddenly, the horde disappeared into thin air, leaving the barest hint of Darkness behind. However, a few of them, unaffected by the spell, gathered by the end of the bridge.

"Sora, what did you just do?"

"I still got a coupla of cards from my stay at Castle Oblivion. They're the literal embodiment of magic, so you can use them out of Castle Oblivion, but it's a little less effective. I mean, look at our new friends there... they're not warped away."

"Well then, seems to me we should give them something to play with."

Sora and Riku stands, Keyblade at ready, at one end of the Bridge, defending the small Island, and, Kairi, leg slightly healed, with all their might.


	3. Narrow Salvation

Dark Reaches.

Disclaimer: I do not, and never will (unless a miracle happen, and they're not very reliable these days) own Kingdom Hearts, or any of its characters, plot elements, game play, yadah yadah. Sheesh, are these things really that necessary? I don't even own the games! NOTE: Too lazy to write a new disclaimer.

SORRY! I know I didn't update in 3 effing months! Please blame it all on the concentration camp we all know and love as SCHOOL. That, and the neverending stream of homework and projects left me with no time for writing. Anyways, enjoy, and once again, SORRY!

* * *

Mickey drove the _Highwind Peak_ through the dark reaches of outer space, dodging and weaving every enemy that he came across. The ship's lasers prove a deadly arc of destruction against any heartless or nobody ships, and he drove the engine into near exhaustion. But he cannot afford to slow down- three of his best friend's lives depend on his speed. The growing darkness ahead didn't make things any easier- they somehow prevent a warp drive to his destination.

Besides him, Donald sat, holding on to his lunch. The royal mage felt so useless- while he traverses around the worlds with Sora, he wasn't ever excluded out of the party. He was a healer, as well as an extremely versatile fighter, the only one that fights at both a range and melee at the same time. He can fight a fair size of heartless alone before he needs to take an item to restore his mana, only to attack and destroy more. Which is why, the little white duck felt so useless- he could have helped in Destiny Islands. The King may be an extremely versatile pilot, going at speeds not even the daredevil Sora would dare navigate, he still felt like every second is an hour where is friends could have gotten killed.

At the edge of the Gummiship sat Goofy. He kept asking questions, questions that can't be answered, or doesn't have an answer, in his mind. While he may look foolish outside, he's a sage inside, no matter how much he kept denying it. But what's worrying him is Sora. He knew that the boy is extremely powerful. However, even with the help of two other keyblade wielders, he couldn't help fearing for his survival. According to Donald, they're practically fighting a hundred to one. And although he knew his friend's power, much of it depends on him and Donald being there, and he knew that if the tide isn't stemmed soon, Sora would be overcome by the darkness. And if a heart as strong as his is taken by the Darkness... Goofy didn't even want to think about it.

Mickey suddenly pulled out of the warp stream, and they arrived at Destiny Islands. Mickey landed at the small island- a few metres behind a failing Sora, Riku, and Kairi.

* * *

"UGH!"

The Shadow leapt away, seconds before Sora threw his Keyblade at it. The Keyblade reappeared in his hands a second later, in time to parry the blade of a Bandit heartless. Clutching his torn side by the claw of the aforementioned Shadow, he parried its second attack, then delivered, a strong hit to the Bandit, knocking it into a Large Body, which disappeared along with the Bandit to who knows where. Riku sported multiple slash marks on his shoulders, but it seems that the overriding tide is starting to slowly disappear. Kairi, although not looking so well, manages to hold her own, slashing like a demented female maniac. Perhaps a tad bit crazy, but effective against the shadows now attacking her anyways. By this time, most of the infrastructure of the islands, like its bridges and its huts, buildings, and such,

Suddenly, all the grounded heartless disappeared.

The Islands were silent.

Then a band of Invisibles appeared, bearing a pink-haired figure bearing a massive scythe. The figure jumped, and landed before the trio, black robe swishing behind him, scythe held high.

* * *

The pink-haired figure smiled. "It is nice seeing you again, Sora."

"We've never met before!" protested Sora.

"I assume that the little witch had done her job perfectly, didn't she?"

"What witch? What are you talking about?"

Riku stepped forwards. "Sora, he's talking about Namine. You know, the little girl that wiped your memories back in Castle Oblivion?"

"..."

"Sora?"

Marluxia laughed. "It seems," he told everyone, "that the little nobody done her job too well."

"... It's like... I can't remember her, really. I remember a blond-haired girl, but after that, when all of my memories came back, when I defeated Xemnas, all of the memories came back, except for whomever is the blond girl. And the few hours before my memories are wiped are blank too. So... I beat this guy before? Then shouldn't he be dead?"

"But I thought-"

Marluxia swung his scythe. "Am I going to wait all day for you to regain your memories ?"

Sora stepped forwards. "Fine. Looks like I beat you once, and I'll do it again!"

"You've said it, Sora!" Donald stepped forwards.

"Donald! You're here!"

"Me too!"

"Goofy! King Mickey!"

The King smiled, stepping forwards as he was greeted by his old friends. "Sora, we'll take care of Marluxia here. You go into the Gummi Ship. We've got some restorative items there, and there's so much darkness on this Island now, that if anything happens-"

"Nothing's going to happen, Mickey! And me and Sora can handle this guy. Right Sora?" said Riku.

But the King would brook no arguments. "Look at you two! You're injured. Rest up in the ship, unless you want to be Nobody fodder. Kairi, you too."

Sighing, Riku and Sora carried an injured Kairi towards the ship.

"I suppose I am to duel the King himself now. I am honored." sneered Marluxia.

"Don't count on it. And besides, you're facing me and my two best buddies! Donald! Goofy! Let's go!"

The trio ran towards Marluxia, weapons trailing behind them, as they ran, closing the distance in seconds.

"Your hopes are doomed to the Darkness." And the battle began.

King Mickey was the first one to reach him. He struck at Marluxia, Kingdom Key D striking Graceful Dahlia. Marluxia struck back, however, forcing the King to duck under his wide arc. He proceeded to uppercut Marluxia with the Keyblade. Marluxia managed to dodge, a fraction too late, as he received a small scar near his pretty face. King Mickey smiled. "Not so pretty now, are you?"

Marluxia's only response was to growl. He then slashed at the air. A crescent of pink energy flew towards King Mickey, rippling the air in its wake.

"Reflega!"

Mirrors of light surrounded Mickey, just in time as the crescent wave hits. A wave of light reflected from the mirrors, forcing Marluxia to roll to the side as his own crescent wave rebounded. He snarled. "This is no time to play hide-and-seek, boy." He backflipped into the air, and started spinning rapidly, approaching them while launching multiple pink crescent waves. Mickey managed to dash towards the rapidly-spinning assassin, managing to duck under Graceful Dahlia's crescent waves. Mickey leaped up into the air, and casts Stopga on the blur of pink-and-black robes. Marluxia managed to pull out of his spin just in time to dodge the upcoming spell. Both combatants landed on the ground, adrenaline thumping through them. They began to rush each other again, closing the ten meter gap within seconds. Mickey leaped into the air as Marluxia struck at the space he was at seconds ago, and managed to scorch Marluxia with a well-placed Firaga. Marluxia retaliated, teleporting behind the King and slashing at him. The King managed to cast a protective Firaga before it hits, knocking Marluxia away. The King proceeded to shoot Thundaga at the pink-haired figure. "Donald? Goofy? I could use a little help over here!"

"Sorry, your majesty, but we're a little busy at the moment!" said Donald, levitating himself into the air in order to fight the four Invisibles accompanying Marluxia earlier. "Thundaga!" Thunder burst into life all around him, narrowly missing the two Invisibles he is dueling. On the other hand, Goofy employed at counterattacking tactic, blocking the Invisible's blade, then charging it like a rocket. He did so, spun around like a tornado, continuously hitting it, and finishes off with a reverse kick. He then rushed towards the ground, lighting up like a meteor, and rammed an Invisible that was seeking Donald's flank. Donald pulls off all of his spells, however, he continues to miss the Invisibles. "Firaga! Blizzaga! Thundaga! Aeroga! Stopga! Graviga! Magnega! Reflega! Fantastia!" The last spell, his limit break, sends sparks and explosions into the air. And as the dust settled, the nearly lifeless body of an Invisible was hovering, rushing towards them. The other Invisible remain unseen. Charging, Goofy met the charge of the Invisible.

Mickey, at the moment, was dueling Marluxia, both dancing in a flurry of sparks and blades. Mickey's Kingdom Key D would slash, spin, and thrust from numerous directions, assailing Marluxia's Graceful Dahlia, which spins around and around, creating an impenetrable barrier of defense. Suddenly, Marluxia covers himself with blossom petals. Mickey just managed to spin himself around, backing away, before the petals hit, accompanying a slashing Marluxia. Despite their devilish speed, Mickey was hit by two of the mad slashes and three of the petals, and was knocked away from Marluxia, whom stood triumphantly over the crouching King, scythe at ready. Darn! he thought to himself. Is that kind of speed even allowed? I guess I'll have to counter using 'that'... King Mickey casted Curaga on himself, and he raised his Keyblade, pointing it at the Graceful Assassin. He gathered light at the tip of his Keyblade, and shot a single, powerful beam of white light, which hit Marluxia square-on in the gut, causing light to erupt from Marluxia's body. The force of the shot hurled Marluxia into the air, knocking him into a nearby palm tree, the wind knocked out of him, and breaking the tree in process. Before Marluxia even returned back to earth, King Mickey was there, glowing in an aura of light, Kingdom Key D extended, slashing Marluxia from different directions at once, before somehow appearing above him, and slashed him while backflipping, knocking him with a whiplash of light.

Marluxia lay crouching, kneeling on the ground, Graceful Dahlia in the deep, black, waters besides him. As a result of each of their battles, the beach of Destiny Islands are now completely destroyed, pieces of rock and driftwood and planks everywhere. "Damn! Damn this! I mustn't let the Superior down, not when he revived me... ugh... gah!" He wasn't bleeding externally, but two of his backbones were broken when he hit the palm tree, and the light from the Keyblade hurts him in such a way that can't be described physically. Then suddenly, without warning, Marluxia simply stood up again, as if nothing happened. He stared his opponent some yards away with cold, blue eyes. "You don't realize, do you..." he stated quietly. "You don't realize how much power _he _gave every one of us, every single member of the Organization that was revived... even if you defeat me here, I will simply return, stronger than ever, from the nothingness... you know nothing." King Mickey hesitated. What did he mean by that? However, there is no time for contemplation. Marluxia _erupted _in black flames, and dark clouds gather over the skies over him. "Like I said, King Mickey, that we have returned, more powerful than ever!" And with an impossible speed, Marluxia attacked King Mickey.

* * *

"Ngh.."

"Stay still, Kairi! It's hard to treat your injuries if you keep on moving!"

Sora was nursing Kairi back to health, back in the shuttle. Kairi suffered multiple injuries on her legs, arms, and body, however, she is in more danger of passing out due to psychological shock and muscle overstrain from the Keyblade. Untrained and unprepared, the Keyblade caused her as much damage as it did the heartless. "Can't you just fix me up with a Curaga?" asked Kairi. But Sora shook his head. "That's the easy part. I've gone through these kind of injuries during my adventures. Curaga won't heal this, unless you put these-" and he put some more of the stinging herb he had been applying for the past few minutes " and there... that should be done... Curaga!" A flash of green leaves appeared above Kairi, and Kairi was healed again. "Sora... I feel great. Thanks." Sora grinned. "You're welcome... let's attend to Riku now. "

"Don't mind me, I'm fine... we'd better go help the King." said Riku from the window of_ Highwind Peak. _" I don't know what's happening, but they look like they're in a even match - if this goes too long, they'll tire down."

"How would you know? King Mickey is strong. There's a reason why he survives in the Realm of Darkness, you know," said Sora.

"That's not it. Look at Marluxia's flames." He pointed at Marluxia. "She- I mean, he, gets an enormous amount of speed and strength form that dark energy surrounding her- I mean, him. Mickey won't win, unless he had some sort of trump card that we've never seen before. That, or he finishes this now, because he'll lose in an endurance match."

"But where," protested Kairi, "does he draw this energy from? And how would you know?"

"I-I... I don't know. I just... feel it, I guess. I'm corrupted by the darkness, remember? But we should help the King now. He really looks like he's in a cinch."

"No, we shouldn't," said Sora.

"What? Why?"

"We're weakened. Face it. We didn't get much practice with the Keyblade these past few weeks. Remember all of the heartless just now? We used to think they're weak! But they reduced us to this... If we help him, we'll only get in his way."

Riku ground his teeth, seeing his friend's logic. "All the same, though, I wish we can help him."

Sora gave him a halfhearted smile, warm, yet sad at the same time. "He's the King. We have to believe in him."

Kairi moved forwards, and wrapped her arms around Sora's shoulders, witnessing King Mickey fighting the eleventh of the Organization.

* * *

Slash, hack, dodge, uppercut, block, jump, slash... King Mickey's mind is in overdrive, trying to protect himself from the relentless attacks from the pink scythe. Donald and Goofy was already knocked out at the first strike, unprepared for Marluxia's speed. Only the King himself stood now, astonished at the sudden change in Marluxia's health. He was certain the Nobody was finished, however, he simply returned, much, _much _stronger than before. Marluxia suddenly slashed, and the very air in front of Mickey turned into a crimson scythe of energy, knocking the unfortunate king back. Marluxia proceeded to slam the scythe into the ground, causing black holes to appear on the ground. The black holes disgorge pillars of dark energy, which the King manages to dodge narrowly. The King heals himself with a Curaga, and charged Marluxia again, only to be caught by a beam of dark energy, which he manages to deflect with his Keyblade. Marluxia snarled. "Enough! I have better things to do than play hide and seek with mere mice!" He then raised his scythe, whirled it above his head, and a rain of petals came down. Not sure what it is about, the King casted Aeroga on himself.

It was then he noticed that Marluxia was missing.

In the meanwhile, the falling pink petals turns into tornadoes of pink petals, and Mickey was forced to burn them with Firaga, further draining his energy. Then, all of a sudden, a pink scythe materialized out of the storm of petals, and struck the King.

"Urgh!"

The King was knocked backwards, where a second scythe was waiting. He was then knocked into a third scythe, which slashed at him again, and again into the fourth, but at the fifth scythe, the King manages to deflect it. He lay kneeling on the ground, heaving, while Marluxia materialized out of the storm of petals that the two of them lay in. The King grimly smiled. " I see... so, you turn the air around us into petals, and you somehow manage to warp in them..." Marluxia smiled, a cold, eerie smile that never reached his eyes. "Perceptive as always, eh?" The King continued. "Unfortunately for you, however, playtime is over. "

Marluxia frowned. "Give it up. You're weakened. If you continue to fight, then you will die, and the Superior has other...uses... for you."

"You're forgetting something."

"Am I?"

"I am a Keyblade Wielder, Bearer of the Mark of Mastery, Pupil of Yen Sid, and trained in the high secrets of Keyblade Wielding. I won't lose! You've got another one coming!"

"Hmph... "

Mickey smiled, all traces of injury gone from his body. He then grabbed Kingdom Key D, and raised his other palm, and grabbed at the air.

The air condensed, and flashed. And Mickey held the Star Seeker and Kingdom Key D in his hands, in ready position, tips of the keyblades pointed at Marluxia.

"Playtime's over."

King Mickey rushed Marluxia with _twice _the speed Marluxia was normally traveling, surrounded with an aura of silver light. Star Seeker glows with a soft yellow light, while Kingdom Key D glows with a silver luster. Then the King threw both Keyblades towards Marluxia. So fast was the throw that Marluxia was grazed by Star Seeker, however, in the end the two Keyblades missed. However, that was Mickey's intention. He was already behind Marluxia, catching both Keyblades mid-air, and spun around, continuing the momentum, slashing Marluxia. Thrown backwards, number XI crouched, severely damaged. But the King wasn't done yet. Spining in the air with both Keyblades outstreched, he slammed into Marluxia head on, throwing him into the air. He then proceeded to slash Marluxia at high speeds from all angles, Marluxia never knowing where the next strike will come. He then slashed Marluxia with both Keyblades, smashing him into the ground. Marluxia turned into pink petals, reappearing some distance away from the King, breathing heavily. The King smiled triumphantly. "Didn't I tell ya? Playtime's over, mate." Marluxia straightened up, scythe at ready. Mickey frowned. "Darn! He should be dead by now! What... That's it! Time to finish this." The King called out. "Not defeated yet? I'll finish this." Marluxia wasted no energy in responding, simply raising his arms. Holes of darkness appeared all over, forcing the King to zigzag through these pillars of dark energy that came out through the holes. He threw Star Seeker in the air front of him, where it spins around, top to bottom, while simultaneously smashing Kingdom Key D point-first into the ground in front of him. A circle of white light appeared underneath Marluxia, and before he could move, beams of white light flew out from under him, smashing him into the air. King Mickey leapt up, taking Star Seeker midspin with him, and dashed torwards Marluxia, Keyblade in hand. He was suddenly above her, and he stabbed the Keyblade pointfirst into the spot where his heart is supposed to be.

"Gah!"

Marluxia suddenly convulsed, waves of light traveling through his body. The King glows with a bright light, and a beam of light suddenly exploded inside Marluxia's body, going through Marluxia's body. Marluxia's energy is now fading, his body turning into smoke, his face a rictus of pain and shock. He whispered. "So, you have discovered our weakness... I think, now the battle will be more interesting... "

With a final cackle, Marluxia turns into a wisp of black smoke, gone in the wind.

The King dropped down to the ground, grabbing Kingdom Key D as he did so.

His first concerns are for his friends.

"Goofy! Donald!"

He rushed over to their sides, casting Curaga as he did, and in no time, the two of them were up, looking around, ready for a fight.

"Huh... what? Oh, good morning your majesty... oh boy."

"Hmyawwn... Your Majesty, did you happen to summon us?"

Mickey smiled. In spite of the desperate situation they were in, with Destiny Islands almost destroyed, it was nice to have his old friends back.

"Naah, he's finished. C'mon, we'd better head back to the Gummiship, and meet up with Sora..."

King Mickey, Goofy, and Donald picked their way carefully throughout the strewn debris scattered all over the beach.

Behind them, a dark portal flared out of nowhere, on top of the nearly decimated rooftop. Number 10 walked through it, his normally-pleasant face frowning ever-so-slightly.

"As I predicted, my guesses are, correct. I suppose not all throws of the dice should be favorable to us... Destiny Island stands."

With that, he walked back into the portal.

* * *

"Your Majesty!"

"Donald! Goofy!"

"Mickey!"

"Sora! Riku!"

"Sora!"

The King and his two compatriots were greeted joyfully by the inhabitants of the tiny gummiship, overjoyed that they're all safe, and Destiny Island is too, safe.

"Alright, fellas, settle down a bit."

Everyone found a seat, and sat down. The mood changed, and everyone has serious looks on their faces.

King Mickey broke the silence.

"Guys... do you have any idea why Destiny Island was attacked again?"

Sora scratched his head. "Well... I don't know... I thought heartless can't go from world to world anymore."

"True, but we can still go outside the worlds with Gates, right?"

"Yeah..."

King Mickey looked troubled. "Sora, they attacked Destiny Islands for some reasons... and I think, it's because Organization XIII wants to get rid of you."

Sora jumped to his feet. "But I thought we already defeated them. We killed Xemnas, didn't we, Riku?"

Riku nodded in affirmation. "Yeah, we did. So how come they're back?"

"I don't know, but lately, there's a darkness in the stars... something that doesn't quite feel right. Tell you what, we'll explain everything we know once we get to Twilight Town."

"Twilight Town?" asked Kairi.

"It's the place that Roxas was born in..." said Sora.

"But we can't leave Destiny Island undefended! Look outside!" said Riku.

He was right. Destiny Island is a mess, nearly unrecognizable to them. The seas turned a dark, navy-blue color, and the clouds are grey, dark and menacing, like the day it was destroyed. The pier was all but gone, the boats washed away to heaven knows where, whole treetops destroyed, and, most of the rock cliff that divides the Island in half is all but destroyed. Omnious winds flew through the littered shore, debris strewn everywhere.

"Don't worry. When we leave, I'll seal this world's gate. No one can reopen the world without a Keyblade. It'll be safe."

"But what about the inhabitants? What happened to... oh no... Wakka? Tiddus? Selphie?"

"The answer to that lies in Twilight Town. Come on, let's go!"

The three people from Destiny Island found the extra passenger seats, and sat down, strapping their seat-belts as they did so.

"Actually," interrupted King Mickey, "Sora, can you take the pilot seat? I'll need to be able to seal Destiny Island when we leave."

"Gladly," said Sora.

The ship's engines rumbled to life. Dust billowed underneath the dark ship as it lifted up from the ground, slowly, but silently. Then, with a roar rivaling that of the Lion King, the ship took off like a rocket, leaving Destiny Islands behind. As the ship traveled slowly away, King Mickey raised his Keyblade, pointed it at Destiny Islands. Star Seeker and Kingdom Key D alike glows with light, energy forming at both their tips. Then, twin beams of light shot out of the Gummiship Window, straight into Destiny Island. Destiny Island glows with energy for a moment. Then King Mickey cried out. "Seal!" Eddies of energy began to form over Destiny Island, and the twin beams of light glows brighter.

Then, space and time pulsated, and Destiny Island was disappeared, leaving behind only eddies of energy to mark where it was.

Sora, whom has been watching the whole even, felt a tear rolling down his eyes, falling down to his lap.

He didn't know that, behind him, Kairi watched the space where Destiny Island is, and a tear too rolled down her cheek.

Even King Mickey, Riku, Donald and Goofy felt a little saddened.

"Sora... " said King Mickey softly. "Let's go."

And the ship too disappeared into the vast, vast universe, carrying her inhabitants to another adventure.

* * *

Yes! Im done! At last! Again, sorry for not updating for about 3 effing whole months. Anyways, expect some more chapters coming your way, cuz it's holiday! And I'll break my saying on the previous chapter. Please review! Note the please. If you don't want to it's ok, although i'd feel happier if you'd criticize my writing, because I'm only 13, for god's sake! Well, 14 next month, but that's not the point. The point is, please review, and by doing so you'd be telling me how to improve my writing. Thank you very much! Enjoy!


	4. Three Masters

Shadowing Light

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of its properties. Really. No, Really.

Kilameida: Now that school's over, I'm not gonna be busy anymore, so I can write even more story chapters! I'm sorry that I only have ONE story, but my mind is developing a story somewhere back there! Thanks goes to janus-juan (Yes, this is a Reconnect story), and SonChan, the VERY first reviewer. And to my sister, whom told me that I should put more background info about some characters that she doesn't even know, and finally, to my good friend whom shall remain anonymous, whom freely gave me his Kingdom Hearts CD which I am trying to complete (anyone knows how to KO Sephiroth at lvl 55 and WITHOUT ultima weapon?) Anyways, enjoy!

**WARNING: SPOILERS FROM BIRTH BY SLEEP**- Don't want, finish Birth By Sleep first and then come here.

* * *

The _Highwind Peak_ soared through the aether, traveling to a distant world, a distant place. Now that the small party left Destiny Islands and locked it away, three of them no longer has homes. They aren't even sure that their fathers and mothers survived the grievous assault, or if Selphie, Tiddus, and Wakka did too. Wordlessly, they approached the quaint world of Twilight Town.

Sora, driving the Gummiship (since he's the most experienced, other than the King, whom had other matters to attend to) wasn't feeling worried. He knew that his father, mother, Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus would be safe. They have strong hearts, and all that matters is to know where to look for them. He only worried about Kairi, and her mental state. He glanced back. Kairi was just sleeping there, tired, hair a rather impressive mess, which, Sora thought, made her even more... beautiful. He wanted to protect her from everything, although, recalling the events in Destiny Islands, may not be possible. He wants to be stronger... which brings him back to a single thought he kept thinking of over and over and over again.

Why? Why were they here? Why did Mickey, Donald, and Goofy arrive at Destiny Islands? Sora did receive a letter, telling him to go out of the Islands to save some people. However, it appears that the Islands were sealed off when he tried to leave. Days later, a second letter arrived telling him that he cannot leave due to a mysterious and unknown cause, that they will explain later, when they come and picked him up. They now rode towards Twilight Town, although why should they go to Twilight Town remains a mystery.

Presently, they landed near the mansion, keeping the Gummiship well-hidden from the inhabitants of Twilight Town. No one usually ventures out of the Town walls, and so they felt reasonably safe in keeping the ship there. Sora turned to look at the mansion. How many memories that he lost, earned, and forgot over there? How many... the questions keep on rolling. The mansion was an important place: It is the place where his Nobody, Roxas, was born, the place where he was reawakened, "rebirth" if you will...

Mickey placed a hand on Sora's waist. Had he been taller or Sora shorter, he would have placed a hand on Sora's shoulder instead, however...

"C'mon, Sora. No time to dawdle around. We gotta go catch a train."

"A train?" Sora asked. They went all the way here just for a... train?

"Not just any train, it's the magical one."

"The one that led to Master Yen Sid, Sora! Remember?" chimed Goofy in.

"And THIS time you'd better be respectful!" shouted Donald.

"What happened last time?" Kairi asked.

"..."

"Nothing." said Sora at last.

"Now come on, we've got a train to catch."

They walked on, leaving only Riku, whom had remained silent thus far, staring at the mansion.

"I... why... can't..."

"Riku?" asked Sora.

He shrugged. "Nothing... let's go."

Together, they ran through the gap in the wall, and into Twilight Town.

However, Riku's thoughts are still in turmoil.

Argh! That name was just at the tip... right over there... X... X..., ugh, gives me a headache if I even try.

He shook his head, and tried to clear his thoughts.

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**TWILIGHT TOWN**

Upon exiting the gap in the wall, they immediately encounter Master Yen Sid, waiting for them, standing right in front of the gap. He wore his customary azure blue wizard robes and hats, and his aged face showed signs of pleasure at finally meeting the group of four keyblade wielders and Donald and Goofy. Upon seeing him, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy bowed down. Kairi and Riku followed suit, bowing down a second after they do. Sora is the only one whom didn't, simply saying, "Hey there!"

On cue, Donald and Goofy jumped on him, yelling at him to show some more respect while simultaneously pinning him into the ground. Yen Sid simply chuckled, reminiscing about the first time he had met the young keyblade wielder, with a similar scene unfolding in front of him.

"Enough."

The single syllable tore Donald and Goofy away from Sora, and Mickey, Kairi, and Riku standing up.

"Really, there is no necessity to show that much respect to me. I am no king, no fabled figure, just another somebody, like all of us here."

"But-"

"Donald, Master Yen Sid said enough," said Goofy.

"How did you find out we were arriving, Master?" asked Mickey.

"My dear boy, you forget that I can sense the movements of Keyblade wielders... and the fact that you came here with three tells me that something is amiss... In any case, all of you should come to the Mysterious Tower right away. There are certain matters that we need to discuss away from prying ears and eyes, and this is not the most secure of places... Hayner, Pence, Olette, you may come out now. You too, Seifer."

The four young children stepped out of the northern alcove, greeting Sora and his friends while simultaneously complaining about how they got found out. Except for Seifer, that is. He simply humphed and walked away.

"In any case, " said Master Yen Sid, "we are to go to the Mysterious Tower. Come now, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, Mickey, and Goofy, let's go."

Master Yen Sid snapped his fingers, and the group disappeared in a flash of blue light.

* * *

**MYSTERIOUS TOWER**

The group reappeared in a flash of blue light in Master Yen Sid's study. Chairs had been somehow set up, just enough for each of them, and two Broom-Servants stood besides the door.

"Very well. I am sure that all of you have many questions, and time is short, so I shall tell you why King Mickey sent you that letter. Before that however, sit down, and allow me to tell you the full story of this whole trouble with Xehanort."

He waited until the group sat down. And then, he told the story.

"Ages ago, long before any of you were born, when Xehanort was still young, the Keyblade Masters of the old flourished. There were many of us. Hundreds strewn across the worlds, and we prospered, keeping the heartless away from our homeworlds. At that time, although the barrier between worlds was not yet broken down, we devised ways to travel, ways to communicate, and so on. However... something happened."

"The Keyblade War," murmured Mickey.

"Yes, the Keyblade War happened. Brought by the desire to create the ultimate keyblade, the X-Blade, the Keyblade that will unlock Kingdom Hearts itself, the Keyblade Masters turned on each other. But about the X-Blade. It is a Keyblade that, unlike the other keyblades, exist _alongside _Kingdom Hearts. Due to the Keyblade's nature of being able to unlock or lock everything, it can do so to Kingdom Hearts, unlike the rest of the Keyblades, which is destined to finally join Kingdom Hearts one day. It is this desire, that fuels the original Xehanort's desire to create the X-Blade. For you see..."

"Master Yen Sid?"

"Yes, Sora?"

"You said Xehanort was once young. But how can that be? He was a being of Darkness. He was a heartless. He stemmed out of the Darkness, and-"

"Sora, you see, the Xehanort that you kept on fighting, the Xehanort that you refer to as "Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness"- is not Xehanort. The REAL Xehanort is infinitely more powerful and deadly. Because you see, like most of us here, he is a Keyblade Master."

Silence settled down on the group. Then the questions started, and Sora and Riku started rapid-firing Yen Sid with questions.

He held his hands up, stopping the barrage of questions.

"Please allow me to continue my story, before I delve in into the secrets of the Keyblade... you see, several years ago, when you were young... ah, but I think young Riku here had met one of the three before."

At this point, Riku stirred. "One of the three? What do you mean, sir?"

"Riku, when you were younger, a man allowed you to touch his Keyblade, did he not? Spiky brown hair, tanned, tall, brown Keyblade?"

"I think... yeah, I did. Why?"

"His name is Terra, one of master Eraqus's three pupils. They are all incredibly talented boys, and I had the honor of meeting all of them... however, back then, the Keyblade wars had ended, and the Keyblade Masters are now a rarity. Back then, only a few can wield the Keyblade. Master Eraqus, and his students, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, can wield the Keyblade. While I am retired, I still retain the ability to use the Keyblade. King Mickey has the Keyblade, Master Xehanort can and... Vanitas, too, can. To make an extremely long and tiring story short, I shall give you the bare structure of their adventures... or King Mickey will, as he was present during the conflict. Mickey, feel free to intrude whenever I talk to give more details. Ventus was a young boy like you, Sora, very similar looking, and he was Master Xehanort's apprentice." He held up his hand, already anticipating the barrage of questions coming his way. "He, like the rest of us, was made out of light... and darkness." He waved his hands, and an orb of light and orb of darkness hovered over his table. "Master Xehanort, like his two copies, Ansem, the seeker of darkness, and Xemnas, is obsessed with Kingdom Hearts. He desired its power. However, as the three of you should know, Sora, Riku, and Mickey, Kingdom Hearts is protected by a door that only one Keyblade can unseal - the X-Blade. Legend has it that the X-Blade comes into being by the meeting of two hearts of equal power, one of pure light and one out of raw darkness." The two orbs collided, creating a clear globe of light. Inside was an illusion of the X-Blade, two Kingdom Keys scissoring each other, creating a blade that travels down the middle of the scissors. "To achieve this end, he used his Keyblade to split Ventus into half- the other named Vanitas. He left the Ventus to rest, thinking that he would eventually die, and his plans would be for naught."

"However, Ventus made a full recovery, and so he sent him to his old friend Master Eraqus, so he may become stronger and equal Vanita's power. During this time, Terra and Aqua became full-fledged Keyblade Masters, although only Aqua inherited the title- Terra relied too much on the darkness within his heart. The three set out on a journey, to stop the threat of the Unversed, creatures very much like the Heartless that you fight today. In the end, all three Keyblade wielders met at the Keyblade Graveyard, the remnants of the world in which the Keyblade War happened, and accompanied by King Mickey, they all managed to defeat Vanitas and Xehanort. However, the fate of the three young keyblade masters are a mystery... two of them, at least." concluded Yen Sid.

"So you know the location of one of them?" asked Riku. "But how are we connected into all this?"

"My dear Riku, you see, due to the fact that Sora defeated Ansem and the two of you defeating Xemnas, _Master _Xehanort has returned."

Silence settled down on the group. They haven't completely grasped the concept of the three Xehanorts, but based on their past experiences, they knew that the original Xehanort must be extremely strong, for his heartless and nobody were extremely difficult to defeat.

"This brings us to a second topic. We will need an army to combat Master Xehanort's growing forces. Four keyblade wielders, good as they are," he added hurriedly, "simply isn't enough. We need to free Terra, Aqua, and Ventus if we are to stand a chance to fight against Xehanort at all."

"But you've said they're missing. How do we know they're still alive? And how do we know where they are?" asked Sora.

"Sora," said King Mickey, half-smiling, "one of their hearts is _here."_

Everyone looked around. "Where?" Goofy finally asked.

"Sora, you see, _you _carry Ventus's heart- it's the reason you can wield a keyblade in the first place. Now all we have to do is to find his body."

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DONE! I know it took a coupla of weeks and it's a tad bit shorter, but my sister suggested that it SHOULD be shorter because it's tiring to read this much. Oh yeah, and review please! Thanks!


	5. Hiatus?

Unfortunately, I will no longer continue this story.

No, it's not like I'll never continue this storyline. It's just that I felt that this story is so damn messy...

So, I'm currently writing a new one. Go check it out. Furthermore, when the story is finished, I'll patch this one up.

So yeah, since all writers write faster when people read and review, go check out the new story! It's called Riku's Journey.


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